TPS to use bond funds for renovations

9/30/2008

BY JAMES JOYCE IIIBLADE STAFF WRITER

Members of the Toledo Board of Education yesterday laid out their priorities for the $37 million bond request on the November ballot, but did not specifically detail the amount that each of the eight schools targeted for renovation will get.

The bond issue, one of two funding requests by the district on the Nov. 4 ballot, would reauthorize money to be used to renovate eight buildings Waite and Scott high schools; the former DeVilbiss High School, which houses Toledo Technology Academy; the Old West End Academy, and Crossgates, Edgewater, Glendale-Feilbach, and Harvard elementary schools.

The eight schools were not awarded state money under the district s 10-year, $640 million building campaign that voters supported in 2002. That program is about half completed, with 23 new buildings, seven which opened this school year.

The $37 million in bonds would be used mostly for renovations and not construction.

As laid out at the special board meeting, the top priority would be to address improvements based on needs and code requirements. That includes electrical upgrades, restroom improvements, enhancing security and fire systems, and making the buildings more accessible for people with disabilities.

After that, work would address improving the learning climate through upgrades to classrooms and lighting, technology infrastructure, and cooling and heating systems.

Then money would go toward projects that would improve the exterior of the buildings and beef up energy efficiency.

School officials said they have not detailed dollar amounts for each of the projects, mostly because they are using outdated assessment figures, said Dan Romano, the district s treasurer.

The $37 million represents the difference between bonds needed for the local share of the original $800 million project $183 million and what was issued for the scaled down, $640 million project $146 million.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission pays 77 percent and 23 percent is locally funded. The bond request would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an average of $22 a year.